Electric hand lantern



May 24,4 1966 A. H. MOORE ETAL 3,252,733

ELECTRIC HANDLANTERN Filed Nov. 17, 1964 k m r.:'llllllllll/y/Aljui-vllllll/llqgmigq y United States Patent O 3,252,733ELECTRIC HAND LANTERN Arthur H. Moore, Fairfield, and Joseph G.Bacevius, Bridgeport, Conn., assgnors to The Bridgeport Metal GoodsManufacturing Company, Bridgeport, Coun., a corporation of ConnecticutFiled Nov. 17, 1964, Ser. No. 411,832 8 Claims. (Cl. 24010.63)

invention relates to an electric hand lantern and, more particularly, tosuch a lantern employing a plurality of electric cells.

Although a number of variations of electric hand lanterns exist, theymay be broadly considered to fall into two categories. The first ofthese categories is that of the standard flashlight which contains oneor more cells positioned in line in a tubular body. The best known andmost widely used flashlights contain two such cells. Although morepowerful flashlights utilizing three and four cells are sometimesemployed, they areunwieldy `and diicult to store due to their excessivelength.

v In order to overcome the disadvantages of the standard flashlight, asecond type of hand lantern is often employed. This type lanterncustomarily includes a lens assembly, a handle, and a battery chamberwhich contains a' battery or battery pack having a rating which may beequal to that of several standard flashlight cells. One difficulty witha lantern of this type is that the batteries which are required are moreexpensive and more diflicult to obtainthan standard flashlight cells.Another problem is often encountered when the main body of a lantern ofthis type is formed of an unbreakable plastic material. Since theplastic is not an electric conductor, a simple slide switch ofthe typeemployed in standard ashlights, wherein the flashlight body is utilizedas one of the switch contacts, is unusable. For this reason, lanterns ofthis type must employ a self contained switch. In other words, aswitchwherein both contacts and the actuating elements vare contained within asingle unit. After this unit is mounted on the body, it then becomesnecessary towire the switch to the battery and to the lamp. This .type`of construction makes the lantern diflicult to assemble and alsoincreases its cost.

Accordingly, it is the primaryobject of this invention to provide animproved hand lantern. Other objects are to provide such a lantern whichemploys a plurality of standard flashlight cells; which includes asimple Unwired switch; and which may be molded of a nonconductiveplastic material.

. lThe above objects and others are attained by providing fvided toselectively interconnect the other terminal of the lamp with theremaining pole of the other battery.

For a more particular description of a preferred ernbodiment of thisinvention reference may be had to the following-disclosure, the appendedclaims, and the figures of the attached drawings wherein:

FIG'. yl is a side elevational view of a hand lantern constructed inaccordance with this invention;

FIG. 2 is a left end view of the lantern of FIG. l;

- FIGJSfis a'cross section takenalong the line 3 3 of FIG. j4 is anenlarged cross section taken along the line 4-4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a cross section taken along the line 5 5 of FIG. 4; and

ICC

FIG. 6 is a cross section taken along the line 6-6 of FIG. 3.

In the drawings, there is illustrated a hand lantern having a body Bmolded of a shock-resistant and electrically insulating plasticmaterial, such as polyethylene. The body B includes a rectangularbattery chamber 10, a lens sup-port bell 12, and a handle 14. The lenssupport bell 12 terminates in anl annular cylindrical liange 1.6 (FIG.6) which is molded with a screw thread encircling its outer surface. Theout-er surface of battery chamber 10 is contoured in such a manner as toprovide a curved switching surface portion 18 conveniently adjacent theusers thumb when the lantern is held in the right hand. The surfaceporti-on 18 defines a rectangular slot 20 (FIGS. 5 and 6) which servesas a switch guide in a manner to be later described. Directly behind theslot 20, the surface 18 is shaped to form a short rib 22 r-unningtransverse to the longitudinal dimension of slot 20.

Each side of the battery chamber 10 is shaped to form a molded lug 24which extends inwardly of the battery chamber closely adjacent the rearwall. A double coil spring 26 is mounted against the back wall by beingslipped beneath the lugs 24. The spring 26 is constructed of a singlelength of copper coated steel wire formed into two adjacent conicalspirals as illustrated.

The body B includes an internally extending shoulder 28 formed betweenthe lens support bell 12 and the battery chamber 10 as shown in FIG. 6.A substantially L- shaped metallic battery contact strip 30 ispositioned within the battery chamber 10 adjacent its intersection w-iththe lens support bell 12. The contrat strip 30 includes a verticalportion 30a which tits against the inner surface of one side wall ofbattery chamber 10. The upper end 30a.' of the vertical portion 30a iscurved to conform to the inner surface of the curved surface portion 18.Bent outwardly from the lower end of portion 30a is a horizontallyextending clip portion 30b which is curved to clamp ont-o the shoulder28 to retain the strip in position. Clip portion 30h alsoincludes aformed dimple 30C which extends inwardly of the batterychamber. Thebattery contact strip 30 is then retained in positionby means of a rivet3'2 which passes through the wall of surface portion 18.

A metallic switching strip 34 extends longitudinally of the batterychamber 10 and along the inner surface of curved portion 18. Theswitching strip 34 includes a central portion 34a which is offset'toextend into the slot 20 as shown in FIG. 5. The forwardl end of theswitching strip 34 bears resiliently against the rivet 32 and at itsforward extremity is shaped to provide a curved contact nose 34b. Theopposite end of switching strip 34 is formed in such a manner as todefine a raised detent ridge 34e` which resiliently bears against the-rib 22. The switching strip 34 is held in position by means of a rivet36 which secures the raised central portion 34a of the strip within arecess formed in a plastic sliding switch button 38. The switching strip34 is formed of a resilient material such as brass and the ends aresprung in such a manner that :they exert outward pressure against theWall of the bat-tery chamber while switch button 38 is simultaneouslyurged inwardly against the outer surface of curved portion 18. It willthus be seen -fro-m an inspection of FIG. 5 that the switchbutton-switching strip assembly is longitudinally slidable in slot 20,the vertical portions of the central portion 34a acting as stops tolimit the-forward and backward motion. In FIGS. Sfand 6 the switch `isillustrated -in a central position with the detent ridge 34C on top ofrib 22. Forward advancement of switch button 38will cause the ridge34e-to slide over rib 22 so as to yieldingly position the switchassembly in its forward position. When the button 38 3 is so advanced,the contact nose 34h assumes the position illustrated as 3411. Whenbutton .38 is retracted, the `detent ridge 34C slides over rib 22 in theopposite direction and positions the switch assembly in its rearwardposition.

The construction of the lens end of the lantern of this invention isillustrated most clearly in FIG. 6. As will be noted therein, themetalized plastic lreflector 40 includes an outer rim 40a which titsagainst the outer edge of flange 16. A threaded plastic lens ring 42 isscrewed onto the ange 16 and includes an annular shoulder 42a whichbears against rim 40a and retains the reflector 40 in position. A clearplastic lens 44 is also retained within lens 42 by means of a secondshoulder 4211. A lamp 46 is positioned within the reector 40 with itsshell making electrical contact with an outwardly extending conductiveange -member 48. The lamp 46 is retained in the reflector 40 by means ofa threaded plastic insert 50 which includes a tubular rivet 52 pasisngthrough its base. A coil yspring 54 mounted within the hollow body ofthe insert makes electrical contact between the tubular rivet 52 and thebase of lamp 46 and also serves as a shock absorber to minimize thepossibility of breakage of lamp 46.

Standard flashlight dry cells are used to power the lante-rn of thisinvention. The manner in which they are disposed when assembled isillustrated in FIG. 6. Following is a description of the steps ofassembly of the lantern. With the lens ring 42 and the reflectorassembly removed, cell C1 is inserted into position with its tipcontacting the lower spiral of spring 26; cell C2 is then inserted andit urges cell C1 inwardly against the force of spring 26 until the baseof cell C2 is snapped into assembled position behind shoulder 28 inelectrical contact With the dimple 30e on battery contact strip 30.After assembly of cells C1 and C2, they are conned and retained inchamber by shoulder 28, as can be clearly Vseen in FIG. 6. As used inthe present specifi-cation, the term battery is intended to be given itsbroadest definition to encompass, for example, either one electricalcell or several cells electrically connected together. Thus, referringto FIG. 6, cells C1 and C2 may be considered. to vform Ia singlebattery, having one pole connected to a spiral of spring 26 and theother pole connected to battery contact strip 30. Cells C3 and C4 arenext inserted with the base of cell C3 in contact with the remainingspiral` of spring 26 and the tip of cell C1 positioned concentricallywith respect to the opening formed by the flange 16. The reflectorassembly is then inserted through the opening formed by the flange 16;lens 44 is placed in position in lens ring 42 and the latter is Iscrewedonto ange 16. When the lantern is assembled as shown in FIG. 6, 4therivet 52 contacts the tip of cell C4 and biases cellsC3 and C4 inwardlyagainst the force of spring 26. Cells C3 and C4 may now be consideredtoform a second battery in series with the battery formed by cells C1 andC2.

It will be" seen by reference to FIG. 6 that when in the illustratedcondition, an open electrical circuit is formed, but theollowingelements are electrically connected: conductive' flange member48, the shell of lamp 46, the lamp filament, the base of lamp 46, springS4, rivet 52, cells C4 and C3, double coil spring 26, cells C1 and C2,and battery contact strip 30 to switching strip 34. In order to lightthe lantern, it is merely necessary to slide switch button 38 forwardly,thus advancing the contact nose 34h of switching strip 34 against theconductive member 48 so as to close the electrical connection andcomplete the circuit. The circuit vis broken by sliding the button 38 inthe opposite direc-tion.`

. It will be noted that, by means of the present inyention, all of theobjectives set forth above have been attained, For example, there isprovided a hand lantern which may utilize standard size flashlight cellsand which, even though constructed of a nonconductive material, does notrequire the use of wired, self-contained switches. Other Variations andmodications may be made in this inven-tion without departing from itsspirit and scope. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the foregoingdescription `is illustrative only, rather than limiting. This inventionis limited only by the scope of the following claims.

What we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of theUnited States is: i

1. An electric hand lantern comprising: a body of electrical insulatingmaterial defining a chamber adaptedy .g to contain a plurality ofbatteries; conductor means/ih said chamber positioned to contactopposite poles of at least two of said batteries; lamp positioning meansmounted in said body to position a lamp with one of the lamp terminalselectrically connected to the remaining pole of one of said batteries;said lamp positioning means including a conductive portion in contactwith the other terminal of said lamp; switch means `for selectivelyelectrically interconnecting said conductive portion with the remainingpole of another of said batteries, including a metallic contact stripsecured to said body in ak tixed position to contact the remaining poleof the said another of said batteries, and a metallic switching stripmovably mounted on said body and arranged to slidingly engage saidcontact strip at all times -but selectively engage said conductiveportion only in one position to which it is movable; and meansaccessible from the exterior of said body for selectively moving saidswitching strip into and out of said position.

2. The lantern defined in claim 1 wherein said body is an integralformation of plastic material having an open end; fand la ring isdetachably secured to said body, said ring being arranged to support alens and said lamp positioning means, and when secured to said body todispose the lens Ano cover said open end.

3. The lantern of claim 1 wherein said contact strip is L-shaped.

4. The lantern of claim 1 wherein said body defines ia slot therethroughand said switching strip includes a finger-activated slidable portionextending through said slot.

5. A lantern as defined in claim 1 wherein said metallic contact stripincludes a portion for mounting it on said body.

6. The lantern of claim 1 wherein said body includes a shoulder thatconfines at least one of said batteries in said chamber.

7. An electric hand lantern which comprises: a body formed of anelectrically insulating material defining a chamber therein adapted tocontain a first and a second battery in side-by-side relationship; ashoulder formed on said body and disposed to conline said second batteryin said chamber; a metallic conductor positioned in said chamber toresiliently contact opposite poles of said batteries; a lamp-reliectoryasse-mbly positioned in said body to support a lamp with one of thelamp terminals Vin contact with the remaining pole of said first batteryand including a conductive ange .positioned to contact the otherterminal of said lamp; a metallic switching strip mounted within saidchamber and selectively movable between a first position out of contactwith said ange and a second position in contact with said flange; ametallic Contact strip iXedly mounted within said chamber toelectrically connect the remaining pole of saidsecond battery with saidswitching strip; and means on said body to selectively move saidswitching strip between its-first and second positions.

8. The lantern of claim 7 wherein said metallic contact strip includes aportion for clamping on said shoulder to mount said metallic contactstrip on said body.

(References on following page) 5 6 References Cited by the Examiner2,465,114 3/ 1949 Cury 240-10.65 2,772,349 11/1956 Chambernn 24o-10.65UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,124,306 3/1964 schatz 24o- 10.65 X 2,226,35312/1940 wood 24o-10.6

2,420,585 5/ 1947 Crimmins 240-10.66 X 5 NORTON ANSHER, PrimaryExaminer.

1. AN ELECTRIC HAND LANTERN COMPRISING: A BODY OF ELECTRICAL INSULATING MATERIAL DEFINING A CHAMBER ADAPTED TO CONTAIN A PLURALITY OF BATTERIES; CONDUCTOR MEANS IN SAID CHAMBER POSITIONED TO CONTACT OPPOSITE POLES OF AT LEAT TWO OF SAID BATTERIES; LAMP POSITIONING MEANS MOUNTED IN SAID BODY TO POSITION A LAMP WITH ONE OF THE LAMP TERMINALS ELECTRICALLY CONNECTED TO THE REMAINING POLE OF ONE OF SAID BATTERIES; SAID LAMP POSITIONING MEANS INCLUDING A CONDUCTIVE PORTION IN CONTACT WITH THE OTHER TERMINAL OF SAID LAMP; SWITCH MEANS FOR SELECTIVELY ELECTRICALLY INTERCONNECTING SAID CONDUCTIVE PORTION WITH THE REMAINING POLE OF ANOTHER OF SAID BATTERIES, INCLUDING A METALLIC CONTACT STRIP SECURED TO SAID BODY IN A FIXED POSITION TO CONTACT THE REMAINING POLE OF THE SAID ANOTHER OF SAID BATTERIES, AND A METALLIC SWITCHING STRIP MOVABLY MOUNTED ON SAID BODY AND ARRANGED TO SLIDINGLY ENAGAGE SAID CONTACT STRIP AT ALL TIMES BUT SELECTIVELY ENGAGE SAID CONDUCTIVE PORTION ONLY IN ONE POSITION TO WHICH IT IS MOVABLE; AND MEANS ACCESSIBLE FROM THE EXTERIOR OF SAID BODY FOR SELECTIVELY MOVING SAID SWITCHING STRIP INTO AND OUT OF SAID POSITION. 